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Mark Makora Mbogo (born September 23, 1997), known professionally as KayCyy or KayCyy Pluto, is a
Kenyan-American Kenyan Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of Kenyans, Kenyan descent and ancestry. As of the 2021 census, there were an estimated 94,623 Kenyan-born persons living in the United States. Most Kenyan Americans are concentrated in Minneapoli ...
rapper, singer and songwriter. Born in Keroka,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, Mbogo moved with his family to the United States at an early age. Throughout his career, he has released five mixtapes, and several singles with his debut studio album ''Who Is KayCyy?'' set to release within 2025. KayCyy has worked as a songwriter and credited vocalist alongside several major artists, including
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
,
Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes ''Harder than Hard'' and ''Too Hard'' — the for ...
,
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
, and
Travis Scott Jacques Bermon Webster III (born April 30, 1991), known professionally as Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Scott has had five number-one hits on the U.S. ''Bil ...
amongst others. Most notably, KayCyy had a large contribution towards the production of West's tenth studio album ''
Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on August 29, 2021. The album features a broad range of guest performances from artists, including The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Maril ...
'', writing and recording references for a multitude of tracks.


Early life

Mark Makora Mbogo was born in Keroka, Kenya on September 23, 1997. At the age of nine, he and his family moved to the United States and resided in
Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
. He attended
Tartan Senior High School Tartan Senior High School is a public 4-year secondary school in Oakdale, Minnesota, United States. It is a member of Independent School District 622. Demographics Since its opening in 1971, Tartan has grown to more than 1,800 students suppor ...
in the nearby suburb of Oakdale. During school breaks, he spent time in New York City collaborating with other musical artists. After he graduated from high school, Mbogo moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and later
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in pursuit of his music career.


Career

In 2016, while still in high school, he signed to Alive Productions, a record label founded by music producer Reefa, with him later leaving in 2021. He released two mixtapes, ''Patient Enough'' and ''Ups & Downs'', in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Mbogo has worked with multiple other artists, having writing credits on
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
's album ''
Funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
'' and
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
's single "
Wash Us in the Blood Wash or the Wash may refer to: Industry and sanitation * WASH or WaSH, "water, sanitation and hygiene", three related public health issues * Wash (distilling), the liquid produced by the fermentation step in the production of distilled beverages ...
". Mbogo has worked closely with West since 2019. The rappers met through record executive Abou "Bu" Thiam, who later became West's manager, as well as KayCyy's. KayCyy is currently signed to Bu's record label BuVision and
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
and is credited as a performer and writer on West's tenth studio album ''
Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on August 29, 2021. The album features a broad range of guest performances from artists, including The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Maril ...
'', including on the single "
Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
", which topped multiple international song charts. Mbogo was nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Album of the Year for his work on Kanye's studio album ''Donda'', and won a Grammy Award for contributing background vocals to the single, "Hurricane" by Kanye West which won
Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
. Mbogo released a collaborative EP with
Gesaffelstein Mike Lévy (; born 24 June 1985), known professionally as Gesaffelstein (), is a French music programmer, DJ, songwriter and producer from Lyon. He has worked alongside artists such as Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Daft Punk, Kanye West, ASAP Rocky, A$ ...
titled ''TW20 50'' on March 11, 2022, and he released the mixtape, ''Get Used To It'' on June 2, 2022. On May 26, 2023, he released his second collaborative EP with Gesaffelstein, ''TW2052''. Mbogo was featured and involved with the songwriting on the song, " Thank God" on Travis Scott’s album ''Utopia''.


Discography


Studio albums


Collaborative albums


Extended plays


Mixtapes


Other charted songs


References

{{reflist 1997 births Living people 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American songwriters Musicians from Minnesota Kenyan rappers Songwriters from Minnesota 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters Artists from Minnesota Artists from Minneapolis Culture of Minneapolis Rappers from Minneapolis